Among the developed countries of the Western world, Israel has the highest rate of population growth and the second largest population density.

Yet, there has never been a proper discussion about the dramatic implications of population growth for the quality of life in Israel, for our future and the future of our children. Population growth is not addressed in a meaningful way in public discourse and rarely presented transparently and openly way to the public.

The Forum for Population, Environment and Society, “Zafuf”, was established in order to fill this gap. Our organization seeks to better understand, investigate and characterize the implications of population growth for the State of Israel and its resources; to encourage an open discussion among the public; and to propose and initiate long-term, national actions in order to bring the country on to a sustainable course.

IS THIS TREND OUR FATE?

The data, published in 2017 by the central bureau of statistics, examines what is expected of our population by 2065. The three main lines in this diagram are projections based on three levels of fertility – high, medium, and low – of the general population. In 2065 there will be 20 million in the State of Israel, we will be more crowded and, according to economic forecasts, also much poorer.